While questing with my cousin in his first ever playthrough of the game, the most astonishing event of my D2 career took place.

We are sitting right beside each other at the same desk, I'm on the desktop and he's on the laptop. He's been playing a Fanatic Zealot, while I've been teleporting circles around him with a Pure Light Sorc. We've just made it to the Canyon of the Magi in Hell. After heading to town for some quick IDing and Repairing (He picks up a lot of junk...), we head back out into the desert.

I'm checking the quest log for the symbol of the True Tomb of Tal-Rasha, but he hasn't got time for such trivial things. There are bugs to be slain. :strong: I mention that he's headed the wrong way, but he couldn't care less. He's whacking along with my Grief PB having a merry ol' time. How could I deny him the satisfaction of smashing more beetles to bits, and watching their lightning cover the screen in a hopeless attempt at harming him. (standard /players setting, he has died enough) So I follow...

We are maybe two screens away from the Waypoint and I'm slinging Chain Lightning past him into the crowds. Things are falling almost before sight. I hear the faint squish that signals an orange present has fallen. I check the ground ahead and there lies a Vex rune. I'm excited, he's indifferent. ropeller:

Then within seconds (maybe 15) I hear the same sound, this time from his speakers. I look over just in time to see him picking up this.

My brain explodes :balloons: I promptly, threw it back on the ground, took a Screenie, grabbed it back up, and told him to GTFO! (As you can tell in the pic, he dropped it and immediately ran off to kill some more as if nothing had happened... Still going the wrong way :doh

:scratchhead:

Is this some sort of Diablo related divine intervention or something? If I don't make a BotD will the runes turn to dust, or my hand be ripped apart by some sort of animal, never to mouse that beautiful gauntlet again? Have I been chosen to carry out a plan that is bigger than I am? whistleblower: I know, I took it too far...)

What a moment! I had to explain to him the enormous odds of this particular rune falling. (Well it is 1.13 but still...). His response: "Lets go find another one!"

We both laughed. I told him that I would never expect another one to drop, another Zod doesn't even exist for me.

That was quite an entertaining read. Congratulations on the Vex and Zod. It sounds like your cousin does not care or understand about powering his character with the best possible equipment. I sometimes wish I could play with that sort of enthusiasm. Not caring whether or not I squeeze out the last bit of possible damage I can. Sometimes being a fool to the possibilities can be a bliss. :cloud9: and a lot less stressing.

Unbelievable, which makes it all the more awesome that it actually happened, lol!

The random number generator seems to be in a "giveth" mood for you! Congrats!

I'd caution you not to take the sign and make eBOTD with it though. Fate is playing games with you - according to my calculations, there's no realistic scenario in which BoTD is better than grief, unfortunately / amusingly. Maybe a BotD bow? Throw it in a base speed 0 ethereal 5 range pole arm / spear and have a long-range high-power whirlwind barb (but 2x grief would still be better : /?).

I feel like the best use for Zod would be a crazy unique that spawned ethereal. Eth 5 socket rune master with Zod + Lo + Lo + Lo + Lo? Zod + Lem + Lem + Lem + Lem for the most hillarious gold find weapon this side of the missippi?

Congrats Mega, and a funny story to boot. I have noticed that rune drops often come in pairs, but that combo is pretty much the most remarkable I have ever seen. I can see why you're playing with your lucky cousin rather than MPing with me....

Thanks everyone for the replies, I'm still trying to believe something like this could happen that quickly. Sadly, I'm too analytical to take it as fate but this is the closest I've ever felt to it. Even so, any BotD made under these circumstances would ooze style! (@LD50 your idea is nuts, but man what a story that would be...) I'm leaning much more towards a BotD than I would typically just because of the amazing circumstance, but normally I probably wouldn't even consider one next to Grief...

But still, I think I will keep my options open seeing as I haven't got any amazing eth unique or rare item atm... (probably even pick up the next 6os weapon that falls for her, just in case :scratchchin: )

Feel free to keep the ideas coming though, I love being persuaded :thumbup:

@dryz - Seems like every time I get time to play for any length of time, you aren't on... Don't abandon hope though, you may be worth a Cham or something. :wink:

I just did some calculations, and I'm not even sure there are many unique weapons that would be worth the Zod if they spawned ethereal.

A near perfect ethereal The Redeemer is as close as I can come. It'd near 400 average one handed damage, a/k/a... almost as good as Grief But you'd get +2 pally skills and some extra damage to demons and, uh, holy bolt?

First of all, double posts are frowned upon most of the time, especially 3 minutes one after the other. You can edit your posts (left-most icon at the bottom of your post). Which you seem to know, seeing as how first you double posted 3 minutes apart, and then edited the second post.

As far as Tomby goes: check first post of the current IFT. Aside from that, awesome rares would be my choice for style points. frozzzen made an awesome claw out of ATMA-ebugged base.